Steamed Fish with Taucheo (Fermented Soy Beans)
Author Lace Zhang demonstrates how to make steamed fish topped with an aromatic fermented soy bean (taucheo) sauce. The recipe outlines scoring the fish, preparing the aromatics and sauce, and steaming until tender.
Ingredients7
Method10 steps
- 1
Score both sides of the cleaned fish with 2 to 3 diagonal incisions cut about halfway through the flesh.
- 2
Pound the ginger, garlic, and chilli padi together in a mortar and pestle (or finely mince them with a knife).
- 3
Add 1 Tbsp of sesame oil to a saucepan over low heat.
- 4
Add the pounded aromatics to the oil and stir-fry gently until they release their aroma and lightly brown.
- 5
Add 45g of fermented soy bean paste (taucheo) into the pot and sauté briefly until fragrant, then turn off the heat.
- 6
Spoon the sautéed taucheo sauce over the scored fish arranged on a steaming plate.
- 7
Optionally, pour a little water into the sauce pot to loosen the remaining sauce and pour it over the fish.
- 8
Place the plate into a prepared steamer, cover with a lid, and steam on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes.
- 9
Turn off the heat and let the fish rest in the covered steamer for 1 to 2 minutes to finish cooking in residual heat.
- 10
Test for doneness by inserting a chopstick or fork through the thickest part (it should slide through with no resistance, flesh should be flaky, and eyes completely opaque white) before serving.
Tips
Fish Selection and Preparation
Either whole fish or fillets can be used; the author uses white snapper, though red grouper is also recommended. When choosing fish, ensure it does not smell unpleasant and that the eyes are clear rather than cloudy. Scoring the fish halfway through on both sides promotes even heat distribution during steaming.
Sauce and Steaming
Pounded ginger, garlic, and chilli padi are sautéed in sesame oil over low heat until fragrant and browned, then briefly cooked with fermented soy bean paste. The sauce is poured over the fish (with an optional splash of water to lift residual sauce from the pot) before steaming on high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, followed by a 1 to 2 minute rest off the heat.